Will Jaguars pay Jalen Ramsey and keep him?

Posted by Mike Florio on September 21, 2019, 9:59 AM EDT

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Shad Khan didn’t become one of the greatest modern American success stories by being stupid.

The Jaguars owner realizes that cornerback Jalen Ramsey wants out because he believes the team doesn’t view him as the best player in the league at his position. The Jaguars owner also realizes that there’s a very simple way to make him believe that the team views him as the best player in the league at his position: Make him the highest-paid player in the league at his position.

It’s a simple approach to solving a thorny problem, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL reported on Friday that Khan is willing to do it.

It won’t be that hard to do it. As explained Friday, a six-year, $77.7 million offer puts Ramsey at $15.1 million per year in new money, jumping Miami cornerback Xavien Howard ($15.05 million per year) and Washington cornerback Josh Norman ($15 million per year) for the title of highest paid.

Of course, Ramsey may want more than that. Norman got his $15 million per year as a free agent, making it a true $15 million per year. If Ramsey wants six years and $90 million, that pushes the new money average all the way to $18.1 million per year.

But, hey, if that’s what it takes to make Ramsey happy, that’s what it takes. And if in a few years he’s not happy with the fact that others have leapfrogged him and he decides he wants a new deal, then give it to him — if he’s still the best cornerback in the game.

the problem is that Xavien Howard and Josh Norman are nowhere close to being worth $15 million/year. So paying Jalen Ramsey more than those two, would be overpaying.
Corners are not worth $15 a year. QBs are, maybe a stud pass rusher or WR, but not a CB

So who is the best db in the game? Obviously stampnhawk knows more than every NFL executive. Pay the man and learn to live with the noise or maybe this delusional fanbase would rather the Jaguars just release Jalen and return to mediocrity until Khan decides to leave the town high and dry. Good luck with that shut down combination of Bouye and Tre Herndon let me know how that works out for you.

I just know indont want him on my team. Who ever trades for or pays him will regret it. It might not be this year but it will happen. All he does is put a target on his teams back and runs his mouth. The nfl needs to stop paying me first guys like him. He is just antonio brown lite right now. Keep letting him get away with it and see how it turns out.

As immature as he is, he is a great player and the best corner in the league. Coughlin has already nearly destroyed this franchise once. He is an angry, power hungry old man who is stubborn and I am glad Khan has stepped in. TC needs to go not Jalen

The problem with him isn’t his play on the field. The problem is his attitude. Throwing a fit on the sidelines because your coach didn’t challenge a catch? Are you serious? That’s AB territory there. The announcers even said they would have lost the challenge. Is he a good player? Absolutely. He has the AB-syndrome though–he thinks the world revolves around him. What’s he going to do when he gets a guaranteed contract with a bunch of money? Do you really think he’ll settle down? No, he’ll probably get worse. I wouldn’t want him on my team. Like AB, he can’t control his behavior.

He needs to be paid, after seeing players that wasn’t even on the team get paid, and he is one of the best players on the team…He deserves to be paid. Zeke got paid and he like Ramsey has/had 2 years left on his contract.

He’s a bit of a pain in the neck, but players of this caliber are rare. Pay him the going rate and build the other parts of your team. It’s silly to trade a proven commodity (see Dolphins, Miami) for a draft pick that may or may not pan out.

I know he’s a bit of a clown, but he is solid and sometimes spectacular.

Mr. Tyreke-Hill says:
Corners are not worth $15 a year. QBs are, maybe a stud pass rusher or WR, but not a CB

——

So a stud WR is worth $15M/yr but the guy tasked with covering said stud WR isn’t? Ramsey is absolutely worth $15M/yr and if Jacksonville doesn’t give it to him, someone else will.

I’d suspect that Jacksonville will pay him, it’d be really stupid not to. It’s not a situation where he has limited playing time and put up average numbers and wants $25-30M/yr like Clowney. Ramsey, despite his mouth, has shown that he’s one of the better young corners in the game.

The great flaw in this argument – and the flaw has been cited and actually championed by PFT in the past – is that players who are far from the best at their position are routinely made the highest paid, so giving Ramsey that kind of contract doesn’t mean what you say it would. Now, I have no doubt giving him that kind of contract would shut him up for maybe a year or two before he, as all wealthy people do, again complains about being “underpaid”, but let’s stay internally logically consistent. Being the highest paid in the NFL has nothing at all to do with being the best.